“Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup!” Or wait…maybe it’s a katydid, a silkworm, or a tasty young bee. Anything’s possible at the Eat-A-Bug Cafe, otherwise known as the kitchen of naturalist David George Gordon, entomological epicure extraordinaire.

Gordon has gone to the ends of the earth, to his backyard, and under the refrigerator to find culinary inspiration, and now, after years of experimentation with entomophagy (that’s bug-eating, for those of you in the cheap seats), he presents the results with relish…or at least a light cream sauce.

Now you too can tantalize and terrify your family and friends with Gordon’s one-of-a-kind recipes, including Really Hoppin’ John (grasshoppers add that little extra kick), Pest-O (common garden weevils get their comeuppance in a delicate basil sauce) and Fried Green Tomato Hornworm (the Whistle Stop Cafe was never like this!)

Anecdotes, insights and culinary tips (such as the right wine to serve with scorpions) make this truly a book like no other. Follow the detailed instructions, and your guests will ask for seconds, just like folks at David’s notorious cooking demos. Open your culinary horizons. Buy this book. Eat a bug.

Review&colon;

David George Gordon, author of The Compleat Cockroach, says eating protein-rich bugs is good for you ("Crickets are loaded with calcium, and termites are rich in iron), and good for the earth ("Raising cows, pigs, and sheep is a tremendous waste of the planet's resources, but bug ranching is pretty benign"). After all, what's inherently more disgusting about eating a grasshopper than, say, an oyster? Gordon enthusiastically provides recipes for terrestrial arthropods gleaned from the entomophagic appetites of people around the world, telling you which insects are most delicious and which to avoid, how to cook them, and which wine to drink with your many-legged meal. The recipes themselves are clear, easy to follow, and quite educational, with sidebar tidbits about the bugs you're about to eat. Gordon divides the recipes into sections by type of insect, be it grasshoppers, social insects, or "pantry pests." And, of course, he provides a list of places where you can order your edible insects and tips for catching your own. The Eat a Bug Cookbook is a sure kitchen conversation piece--even if you never try Three Bee Salad or Chocolate Cricket Torte, you'll laugh out loud, squirm uncomfortably, and lick your chops while taking this deliciously creepy culinary tour. --Therese Littleton

About the Author&colon;

An award-winning nature writer, David George Gordon is the author of eleven guides to North American wildlife and wild places.